CD helps baby starling to safety

A baby bird trapped in a wall space was rescued with the help of a CD of birdsong, the RSPCA has said.

The starling was one of a family nesting in the roof of a home in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, and could be heard cheeping after it fell down between the house’s wall and false wall.

Pamela Simone and her family, who could hear the bird first behind the bathroom wall and then in the kitchen two days later, attempted to break into the wall space with a drill and then a hammer.

When that failed, they used an angle grinder to remove the end of a cupboard and got through to the wall – but still could not reach the starling.

So Mrs Simone found an old birdsong CD to play while everyone left the house, and when they came back an hour later the baby bird had been lured out of his hiding place and was sitting next to the stereo.

The starling, who was taken to the RSPCA Eastwinch Wildlife Centre near King’s Lynn, was dehydrated but is now doing well and will be released when he is strong enough to feed himself.

Alison Charles, RSPCA wildlife centre manager, said: “It’s amazing that this starling survived for three days without food or water.

“It is thanks to this family that he is alive and well today – they really went above and beyond what many people would do to make sure their feathered guest got the best chance.”

Mrs Simone said: “As soon as we heard the bird we knew he must have fallen down between the two walls and we couldn’t bear to think of him stuck there.

“It was worth the damage to the cupboard and wall, just to know that he’s all right and is going to recover.”